Multivoice unit



June 18, 1963 R. K. OSTRANDER 3,093,928

MULTIvoIcE UNIT Filed Feb. 1e, 1961 ass! INV EN TOR. /for G51-favor@ Ammers United States Patent O 3,093,923 MULTEVICE UNH Robert K. @stranden 497 Prospect St., Maplewood, Nal. Filed Feb. lo, 1961, Ser. No. 89,770 i3 Claims. (Qi. 46u11?) This invention relates to a multivoice unit and to a talking doll embodying such unit, and, in particular, my invention pertains to a doll adapted to produce pneumatically a series of polysyllabic sounds from the mouth, and to a method for making such a Idoll and unit.

Generally, the object of the present invention is to provide a novel talking doll which comprises, in essence, a bellows, and including a multivoice -unit which, when the lbellows is operated as such, is adapted to produce pnleumatically sounds `from the mouth-not just one 'or two repetitive monosyllabic sounds, but a continuous series of sounds of different tonal qualities in random order not easily distinguishable from a flow of babbling baby talk; and to provide a simple method for making the doll.

While hollow dolls made of rubber or other suitable flexible material, iesg, polyvinyl resins and vinyl plastisols, and being operatively (functionally) bellows, have been variously provided at some part oi the wall of the body (torso or head) or interiorly thereof with an air passage iitted with a need instrument or other device for emitting sound upon fthe passage of air either from or into-and usually lfro-ni-the cavity of the dolls body, and while some dolls of this type are adapted actually to emit articulate sounds from the mouth, ordinarily such dolls are able to produce, in response 'to a squeeze, either a single (usually monotonous) sound, or whine, or two extremely simple polysyllables, such as mama or papa It is a particular 'object of the presen-t invention to provide a doll, of the bellows class, optionally with an open 'or openable mouth, and having a ymultivoice unit fitted in the doll, e.g. in the throat, adapted to produce any one lof a variety of sounds of differ-ent tonal quali-ties in response lto passage of air out of 'or into the body or the doll through said unit; and a further feature of .this same object -is to provi-de such a unit adapted to produce different sounds in response to particular dispositions of [the unit while air is passing through it, i.e., in response to slight random departures of the doll, as a whole, from the perpendicular. Thus, while the doll is subjected repeatedly to relatively gentle squeezings of its torso and, at the same time, slight tiltings in Ediierent directions, a continuous series of semi-articulate sounds of unlike tonal character will issue from the toy, preferably through the mouth thereof. In general, what is heard is an incoherent babble lof jargon; but it is remarkably close to the result of the efforts ot a baby trying to talk, and is distinctly not an isolated squawk, whine, or imitated lwond, as is usually produced by so-called talking dolls.

Another object of the inventioni is to provide a doll of the generally described class having a multivoice unit as part thereof capable of producing any of one of a set of at least three different tones in the presence of air flowing in a first direction, and any one of another audibly distinct set of at least three diierent tones in the presence of air iiowing in a second direction. `In short, the doll of the present invention may be said to have one repertoire of sounds relating to exhalation and another repertoire relating to inhalation.

A further object is to provide, in such a doll, a multivoice unit that will change the tone or tones of sound produced by air passing therethrough in either direc-tion upon shifting of the center of gravity of the unit with respect to any given point in sp ace.

A more special object is to provide, in such a doll, a multivoice unit a plurality of passages therethrough Afor air, and means responsive to random tilting of the unit for determining which of such passages are opened and which are closed.

Another special object is to provi-de, in such a doll, a multivoice unit, as described, having its several air passages each fitted with a reed secured therein in such manner that iboth end portions of the reed are free to vibrate, so that the flows of air in either direction through a passage will produce oscillation of at least one end portion of the reed; and, further, the invention envisions not only reeds of different tonal characteristics `for the several air passages, but individual reeds having end portions of diierent tonal characteristics.

An ancillary object of the invention is to provide a doll `oi the `class described having a polytonal unit fixed in the dolls throat, and also a sound conduit, such as a pipe, a funnel, or the like, for :directing sound from the dolls throat to its mouth.

These and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be more fully understood from the `following description, and from the drawing, in which:

FIG. l is an erased anteriorposterior sectional view of parts of a dolls head, throat, and upper thorax, showing the multivoice unit of the invention positioned in the throat andy the upper thorax, and a sound conduit connecting the upper part of the unit with the dolls mouth;

FIG. Z is a vertical sectional view, partly in two planes, showing one form of the multivoice unit;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view, partly in two planes, showing another `forrn of multivoice unit;

FIG. i is a vertical sectional view, partly in two planes, showing a third form of multivoice unit; land FIG. 5 is the section 5-5 of FIG. 2.

The pair of planes of section in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 is common to the three ligures; and in FIG. 5 the angled dotted line X-X indicates these planes.

The talking doll of the present invention is of that class which is hollow and has a wall of exible resilient material, such as rubber, polyethylene, polyvinyl or cured vinyl plastisol, and an open or openable mouth, head or torso adapted to permit pneumatic communication between the cavity of the :doll and the ambient atmosphere; or which at least comprises some portionpreferably the torsothat is hollow and has a wall of flexible resilient material, and is in communication with the mouth of the toy; and is, in effect, a bellows which may be conveniently contracted by squeezing.

A doll of this general class is so well-known that in` FiG. l only an erased anterior-posterior sectional view is had, showing parts of the head, throat, and upper thorax of the toy. It is immaterial whether the head l@ of the doll is of rigid or resilent material, and, in the drawing, the head is shown as a separate member attached to the throat lll and upper thorax 12. The throat and upper thorax are hollow, formed here as a single member, and

their walls are of resilient material; together, the throat and the thorax (and the rest of the torso, not shown) constitute a bellows, i.e., a squeezable vessel` As shown herein, the multivoice sound unit, indexed, in its entirety, 13 (arrow), is iixed in `any secure manner in the dolls throat, and, if it is desired to `direct sound from the unit to the dolls mouth la (shown open), the head of the toy includes a sound conduit i5 (an elbowed tube, funnel, or the like) leading from the top of the unit 13 to the mouth 14. It should he mentioned that satisfactory results are secured even in this absence of the funnel.

The dolls throat lll is assumed to be, as usual, of circular internal cross-section, and the multivoice unit 1&3 is accordingly of general cylindrical shape, with its upper portion adapted to iit and to be secured in any suitable manner within the throat, while, as shown in FIG. l, the

` greater part of the unit is suspended in the upper part of.

the hollow thorax d2. Also, the lower portion of the 3 sound conduit is circular in cross-section and adapted to surround and to be secured to the top portion of the unit just above the throat 11.

The body, i.e. casing, of the multivoice unit 1 3 may be made of any of a variety of suitable materials. A synthetic plastic is preferable. Essentially a two-part cylinder, las shown in those forms illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the body of the multivoice unit is provided in its upper portion with a hollow cylindrical chamber de, of a height about two-thirds that of the body as a whole, and in its lower portion with another hollow cylindrical chamber t7 of much lesser height than the chamber 16. e.g., one-third of the overall height of the casing (actually the heights of said two chambers are not critic-al and have been mentioned only by way of example). The chambers 16 and 17 and the two halves of the casing are separated by a divider 18; or the body may be provided, as shown in the form of the unit illustrated in FIG. 4, with a relatively low upper chamber 19 and a relatively high lower chamber 20, these vlast two lchambers being separated by 'a divider 21, the latter much like the -divider 18. For reference, FIG. is the section 5-5 of FIG. 2, and all forms of the instrument may be of like external shape and size. The two halves of the casing and the divider are suitably secured to one another, as with adhesive.

Without respect to the ditferences of the illustrated forms of the multivoice unit which may be selected, the bodies of the forms shown in FIG. 2 and 3 are alike; and the hollow chambers 16 and 17 are concentric with the body; and in a body as shown in FIG. 4 the hollow chambers 19 and 20 are also concentric with the body. All hollow chambers 16, 17, 19, and 29, preferably are of equal diameter. In all forms shown, the upper cylindrical chamber l(i105 or 19) is tixedly sealed by a top closure disk 22 having a number of perforations or slots 23 therein; and the lower chamber (17 or 2o) is ilxedly sealed by a bottom closure disk 24 also having a number of perforations or slots therein.

lWhether one of the forms embodying the casing construction of FIGS. 2 and 3 or the form with the casing construction of FIG. lis selected, the divider is provided with a plurality of similar openings 26, or the like (at least and preferably three), desirably spaced at like angular intervals around the axis of the multivoice unit, and, for convenience, at a common distance therefrom so as to form an isosceles triangle. The openings 26 connect the upper and lower chambers of all forms of the body of the multivoice unit.

By preference, in any form of the multivoice unit or body thereof here illustrated, each opening 26 is forceiitted or otherwise Xedly provided with a sleeve 27 having secured therein a reed generically indexed 28, so secured that both end portions of the reed are free to vibrate. Each sleeve 27 is provided with an upper anged head 29 which is outside its related opening 2e and which accordingly protrudes slightly beyond the upper face of its related divider 018 or 21).

FIGS. 2 and 5 best illustrate the arrangement of a divider (i.e., 18), its openings 26, sleeves 27, their reeds 28, and the flanged heads 29', of any form of the multivoice unit. FIG. 2, like FIGS. 3 and 4, a vertical sectional view of said unit, is partly in two planes (for the purpose of showing fully in diametric section at least two sleeves 27 and reeds 28), the planes of the sections meeting at the axis of the unit 13, and being indexed in FIG. 5 wherein the angled dotted line X-X indicates how the sections weretaken. The plane of the section indicated by 5-5 in FIG. 2 is coincident with the tops of the flanged heads 29 of sleeves 27 of the form of unit shown in FIG. 2. in this ligure the outlines of two openings 26 are seen, each with a sleeve 27' iitted therein; and here, too, are seen, in each sleeve, a reed 28. Each reed 28 is secured within its sleeve 27 intermediate its ends in any suitable manner that does not block the passage of air through the sleeve or interfere with vibration of both end portions of the reed.

` vibrating, a distinct tone.

A feature of the present invention is that both end portions of each reed 2S are free tot vibrate so that sound will be produced by vibration of the reed no matter which direction air tlows through the related sleeve. And a further feature is that each freeend portion (not indexed) of any of the various reeds is designed to produce, while This last named feature is critical to the polytonal character of the sounds produced by the multivoice unit inasmuch as it is this feature that makes possible a doll adapted to babble like a baby making a sustained effort to Say something articulately in contradistinction to the commonplace sound-emitting doll that merely produces an isolated cry, whine, or, at best, a single polysyllable.

Obviously, af a doll equipped only with that portion of the multivoice unit so far described were worked like a bellows, one composite polytonal noise would be produced while air was being expelled from the cavity of the toy, and another composite polytonal noi-se would be effected while air was flowing back into the cavity. Plainly to achieve the ultimate result sought hereina random, variegated, polytonal babbling or jargon-it is necessary diferentially to render certain reeds (preferably all but one) inoperative during passage of air through the unit. Generally speaking, any device adapted difierentially to block any one or more reed-containing sleeves without blocking. at least one other would operate within the scope of the present invention. From the foregoing matter with respect to the end portions of individual reeds, it will be apparent that essentially the invention involves a plurality of reed-equipped air passages, each capable of functioning in the presence of an air flow ineither of two directions with at least someand, in the absence of any stoppage of air passage, all-the sound-producing devices giving forth individual tones. The drawing shows three sound-producing devices incorporated in each form of the multivoice unit. TwoI sound-producing devices would work less well and require certain undesirable re- -nements to, but still be within the scope of, the invention. More than three sound-producing devices will be seen to be clearly within the compass of the invention, if desired. But the disclosure, showing three and three only such devices, is preferred for the purposes hereof.

A disk of sponge or soft rubber, for example, within and substantially concentric with an upper chamber of the multivoice unit would, if it engaged the tops of the ilanged heads 29 of sleeves 27 under suflicient pressure, etfectively block the passage of air in either direction through the sleeves. Consequently, such a disk, if tilted differentially -so as to engage and damp certain, but not all, sleeves, would enable air to pass through any disengaged and undarnpened sleeve or sleeves, so that one or more patterns of sound would be produced by squeezing and relieving pressure upon the bellows-like portion of the doll.

FIG. 2 shows a tirst form of the invention. Held loosely within the upper hollow chamber 16 is a tumbler valve 30 comprising a central erect spindle 31 reinforced by radial Webs 32 except for a top portion of the spindle. A cylindrical vertically apertured weight 33 sets on top of the upper edges of the webs and is` threaded over the top portion of the spindle. The upper end of the aperture in the weight is countersunk to receive the swedged tip of the spindle and thereby secure the weight to the spindle. Due to its elevated position the weight creates a high center 'of gravity for the tumbler valve and a consequent unsteadiness which is desirable. A pin 34 depends trom the bottom ofthe spindle and is located in a central depression 3'5 in the divider 18. Said pin does not rest on the divider but cooperates with the depression to maintain the tumbler valve centered in the upper hollow chamber 16. The tumbler valve is held captive in said chamber by the walls thereof, the divider 18 and the perforate or slotted disk 22 closing the top of the chamber. The tumbler valve is free to wobble in any angular direction within the chamber 16. Forming part of the tumbler valve is a horizontal plate or disk 36 of relatively rigid material, e.g. of plastic `and integral with the spindle 31 and webs 32. Aixed to the underside of the plate 36 is a soft pad or disk 37, preferably of sponge or soft rubber, i.e. of resilient soft material. Said resilent disk bears down on (under the pressure of the weight 33) and closes all the tops of the `flanged heads 29 olf the sleeves 27 providing that the doll, and, therefore, the Itumbler valve 30, is absolutely erect, i.e. perpendicular, or, more specifically, providing that the center of gravity of the tumbler valve is within the isosceles triangle `defined -by the openings 26. lt -is to be noted that although the centering pin preferably does not touch the divider and thereby lessen the closing pressure exerted by the resilient disk, contact between the lower tip of the pin and the divider will not prevent operation of the multivoice -unit pursuant to my invention. A rubber bumper sleeve 38 embraces the sides of the weight to minimize the possibility of breakage and to prevent unwarranted rapping or knocking sounds.

Due both to its elevated center of gravity and the unsteady seat provided by the soft rubber disk, the tumbler valve always is minimally in a state of semi-imbalance and is easily brought to a state of imbalance wherein it topples to a side when the doll is moved out of a perfectly erect position while still remaining generally erect or simply is moved suddenly while remaining erect. The tumbler valve then will topple in one of three directions, depending up on the direction of tilt or movement, each direction being perpendicular to a different side of the isosceles triangle, so that the soft disk will keep closed two and will open the third sleeve 27.

If the bellows-like portion of the doll is repeatedly squeezed and released yand the doll, as .a whole, is repeatedly and even slightly moved out of the perpendicularin a random manner or is moved suddenly, air will be alternately discharged out of `and drawn back into such portion through the multivoice unit; and, ias the tumbler valve 30 is gravitationally -wobb1ed, the sponge rubber disk 37, operating as a valve, will differentially engage and damp one or more, but not all, of the sleeves l27, and a series ot polytonal sounds will issue from the mouth of the doll in imitation of a babys babble.

It will be apparent that the intensity and speed of squeezing and releasing the bellows-like portion of the doll, and the violence and frequency of angular movement or side movement of the doll associated with eiecting wobbling of the tumbler valve 30, all contribute to the character of the sounds emitted by the doll, i.e., to complexity of tonal pattern and volume. Although the tumbler valve is basically unsteady on its three point support due to its soft support and high center of gravity, -a measure of stability is achieved when it rests ion and blocks only two sleeves, leaving only one sleeve free to sound. Thereby in any given tilted positions only a single tone will be sounded if but three pairs of reeds are utilized. This prevents the occurrence at any particular moment of a multi-toned unrealistic sound.

FIG. 3 shows a second form of the invention. Here, placed loosely within the chamber 16 of the multi-voice unit, is another form of tumbler valve 30. The unit of FIG. 3 differs from that of FIG. 2 in that the pin 34 is integral with and projects upwardly from the divider 18" while the `depression 35 which loosely captively receives the pin is formed in the plate 36' and is downwardly concave. The operations of the forms of the instrument shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 are essentially alike.

FIG. 4 shows a third form of the invention. Here the divider 21 is provided with a central bore 39. There is no weight equivalent to the weight 33 in the chamber 19 of this modification. Instead, rigid and soft disks 40 and 41 respectively are provided above the partition and are held in the familiar neutral position by a rigid pendulum arm 42 passed through the disk 41 and rigidly `affixed to the disk 40; the pendulum arm extend-s downwardly through the central bore 39, wherein it has clearance to swing, to the chamber 20; and, therein, the arm is attached to a weight 43. The `disks 40 and 41 are normally held in the sleeve closing (blocking) position shown in FIG. 4 by the weight 43. The arm 42 securely engages, and passes through, a liexible, e.g. thin rubber diaphragm l44 fixed to the central portion of the top of the divider 21. Of course, rocking `of the pendulum comprising the arm 42 and the weight d3 causes tilting of the disks 4U and 41 to block two and leave free at random one sleeve 27 as described above.

It will be understood `from the foregoing that `a general cylindrical shape for the multivoice unit described herein is not a limitation of the invention, but is adopted as a convenience since the neck of a doll should naturally be more or less round. A multivoice unit having the `faculty of producing sound while airis passing through it in either of two opposing directions, and embodying individually tuned double reed end portions, a plurality of reed-containing air passages arranged around an axis, and means for damping certain air passages and not others which includes an axially mounted and universally tiltable gravitycontrolled valve capable of closing one or more of the passages ldepending upon the rdirection of tilt, may have, it is obvious, any of a number of shapes; but all are manifestly encompassed by the present invention when such unit is in `combination with a doll which is essentially a bellows.

It thus will be seen that I have provided a device which achieves the several objects of the invention, and which is well adapted to meet the yconditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set `forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described the invention, there is claimed as new and desired to secure by Letters Patent:

l. A doll having a bellows with an outlet opening, and a multivoice unit connected to said opening, said unit rbeing xed to the doll and occupying `a. predetermined orientation with respect to the vertical wfhen the torso of the doll -is erect, said unit having a plurality of air passages therethrough, a diiferent reed of a diffe-rent pitch secured in each diiierent air passage, and la tilting valve 'which is supported to vary its position when the torso is tilted with respect to the vertical, said valve in differently tlited random positions corresponding -to differently tilted random positions of the torso obstructing different ones of the passages so as to prevent operation of the reeds secured in the obstructed passages.

2. A doll as set forth in claim l wherein the bellows is squeezable.

3. A doll as set forth in 4claim 2 wherein the torso of the doll is flexible and resilient and constitutes the bellows.

4. A doll las set tforth in claim l wherein there are three air passages.

5. A doll as set yforth yin claim 1 having a mouth wherein :the mu-ltivoice unit is interposed between the mouth and the bellows.

6. A doll as set forth in claim 1 wherein the air passages are arranged around a central axis which is vertical when the torso is vertical and wherein the valve is a weighted discoid resting by gravity on the upper ends of said passages and universally tiltable.

7. A doll as set [forth in claim 6 in which the multivoice unit comprises a hollow casing in which the tilting valve is located, said valve being smaller than the casing so as to 'be universally tiltable therein and an elastomeric bumper circumscribing the valve so -as to deaden the -force with which the valve strikes the casing when the doll is tilted.

8. A doll as set forth in claim 1 wherein the valve is 7 provided with a soft disc at its undersurface and engaging the upper ends `of the air passages.

9. A doll as `set forth in claim 1 wherein the valves and passages are arranged so that plural but less than all of the air passages are obstructed in response to the location of the valve in differently tilted random positions. v 10. A doll as set forth `in claim 9 wherein the valve obstructs all but oneof the passages at a time in difierently tilted random positions of said valve.

11. For use with a doll having a bellows with an outlet opening, a multivoice unit adapted to be connected to said `Opening and to` be Xed to the doll and occupy a predetermined orientation with -respect to the vertical when the torso of the doll is erect, said unit comprising ia plurality of air passages therethrough, a different reed olf -a idifferent pitch secured in each dilerent -air passage, and a tilting valve which is supported to vary its position when the torso is tilted with respect to the vertical, said valve in differently tilted random positions corresponding to differently tilted random positions of the torso obstructing different `ones of the passages soy as to prevent operation of the reeds secured in the obstructed passages.

l2. A unitas set yforth in claim 11 wherein the valve is in Iunstable equilibrium when the doll is tilted away from the vertical.

13. A unit as set forth in claim ll wherein the valve has associated therewith a pendulous weight.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,453,527 Schneider May 1, 1923 2,212,623 Strauss Aug. 27, 1940 l2,745,214 Lawson May l5, 1956 2,777,252 Tancredi et al lan. 15, 1957 

1. A DOLL HAVING A BELLOWS WITH AN OUTLET OPENING, AND A MULTIVOICE UNIT CONNECTED TO SAID OPENING, SAID UNIT BEING FIXED TO THE DOLL AND OCCUPYING A PREDETERMINED ORIENTATION WITH RESPECT TO THE VERTICAL WHEN THE TORSO OF THE DOLL IS ERECT, SAID UNIT HAVING A PLURALITY OF AIR PASSAGES THERETHROUGH, A DIFFERENT REED OF A DIFFERENT PITCH SECURED IN EACH DIFFERENT AIR PASSAGE, AND A TILTING VALVE WHICH IS SUPPORTED TO VARY ITS POSITION WHEN THE TORSO IS TILTED WITH RESPECT TO THE VERTICAL, SAID VALVE IN DIFFERENTLY TILTED RANDOM POSITIONS CORRESPONDING TO DIFFERENTLY TILTED RANDOM POSITIONS OF THE TORSO OBSTRUCTING DIFFERENT ONES OF THE PASSAGES SO AS TO PREVENT OPERATION OF THE REEDS SECURED IN THE OBSTRUCTED PASSAGES. 